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Half-Plate Tintype of Gunboat USS Pawpaw , built

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Half-Plate Tintype of Gunboat USS Pawpaw, built in 1863 as a gunboat, the 275-ton paddle steamer joined the western brown water navy and participated in the defense of Paducah, Kentucky on March 25,1864 against the marauding forces of N.B. Forrest. She later patrolled the Tennessee River in support of army operations until the end of the war. This view, possibly a period copy, offers an extremely candid portrayal of a typical tinclad on river service. Pawpaw is captured at anchor on a calm day with open gunports, one of her boats out, and a number of seamen.

Commanded by Captain William L. Ballowe at Paducah, Pawpaw and USS Peosta shelled the city as Forrest's men made repeated assaults, nearly overwhelming the garrison at nearby Fort Anderson. An accompanying Paducah Sun-Democrat article from November 25, 1934 speaks of this same "old picture" recounting the attack with first person details and mentions that: several buildings in the city still carry scars of the bombardment from river craft. The image and old newspaper article are a fanatastic snapshot of the "brown water navy" afloat.
Tintype shows good lighting for an outdoor photograph but clarity is vague given the depth of field. The top of the plate has heavy mat abrasions near the border with several scratches in the left field. Aft of the smokestake is an area of lost emulsion continuing into the shoreline in scattered pops, still VG weighted against rarity of subject matter. Housed in a complete, original composition case.

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